Parallel Fates
by PsychoRealm
Summary: An accident sends Gohan forward to Mirai Trunks' time, a time where the androids still wreak havoc. Can Gohan survive long enough make it back? And if he does, how will his time have changed without him? Language and character death. Read & Review please!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Yeah, here's the new story. It starts right after Trunks defeats Frieza. And your eyes do not decieve you...this story will contain some romance.

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Nor do I own Gohan or any characters. Akira Toryiama does. Do I look like him to you?

**Parallel Fates**

**Chapter 1- Sent Back**

Blue smoke billowed from the spot where the purple capsule had hit the ground. The Z fighters watched cautiously as the smoke cleared and revealed a white rectangular box. The mysterious, purple-haired teenager walked over to the box.

"Stay on guard! He's up to something!" Yamcha yelled. The group instantly shifted into defensive stances. After easily defeating Frieza and King Cold, the super strong young man was not being taken lightly by the Z fighters. The teen smiled and opened the box, revealing stacks upon stacks of various colored beverage cans.

"_Just a refrigerator…"_ Krillin thought to himself. The teenager smiled and pulled out a yellow can before speaking.

"Does anyone want a cold drink? Goku's not due for two hours and it's quite hot and dry out here." He said, cracking his can open. Gohan stood up straight and smiled. Despite his training with Piccolo, he was only 7 years old and as excitable as ever.

"Yeah!" the demi-Saiyan yelled, running over to the refrigerator. Bulma grinned widely and ran over with him, kneeling and looking inside.

"Wow! What a selection! I'm starting to like this guy! He's even got root beer!" she exclaimed, removing a brown can of root beer and cracking it open. Gohan let out a cry of joy and removed a large orange can for himself.

"Orange for me!" Gohan shouted, cracking open the can and taking a big gulp. Krillin was instantly relieved, suddenly trusting the young man more.

"Does…he have grape, guys?" Krillin asked, a bit embarrassed. Gohan laughed and held up two purple cans.

"Yeah! Two grapes!" he yelled, tossing both to Krillin as the short human made his way over. Krillin caught both cans, immediately opening one and chugging it, leaving a slightly purplish stain in his lips.

"Oh boy! This is great!" Krillin exclaimed, his mouth widening into a big smile. Gohan nodded, sipping more of his orange soda. Krillin crushed the can and tossed it aside, cracking open the other and drinking slower.

"Excuse me, Mister, but how do you know my dad?" Gohan asked, taking a another sip of his soda.

"Well, actually, I've never met your dad before. I've only heard about him." the teenager said, smiling a little. Krillin took a drink and spoke up.

"Then, how do you know Goku is gonna be at this exact spot in two hours?"

The teenager looked away from Krillin and at the ground.

"Well, that's, ah…sorry. I can't say." he said, still looking downwards. Vegeta, annoyed at the teen's vagueness, stood up.

"Why not? I'll tell you. Because you're up to something! Tell us now, tough guy! Who are you?" Vegeta shouted, clenching his fists and giving the teen a menacing look. The teenager looked back at the ground.

"I wish I could. Sorry." he replied. Piccolo stared and opened his mouth to question, but hastily shut it again when Gohan spoke up.

"When you defeated Frieza and that big guy back there, you were a Super Saiyan, weren't you?" Gohan asked. The teen emptied his can and looked at the half-Saiyan boy.

"Yes. Yes I was." he replied simply. Vegeta's anger boiled over again and took a single step forward, scowling angrily.

"That's a lie! Look, my friend, Kakarott, the one you call "Goku" and myself are the only Saiyans left. Kakarott's kid there is half-Saiyan. So, if you count him that makes three of us," he yelled, face reddening with frustration, "There's no way you could have Saiyan blood!"

The purple-haired teen made no attempt to defend himself; he just stood staring at the ground. Gohan cocked his head and yelled back at Vegeta in defense of the teenager.

"Yeah, but, we saw him! He just defeated Frieza and that huge guy all by himself!"

Vegeta scoffed and grinned. "Well, I'm calling him a liar, not a weakling."

Bulma finished her root beer and glanced at the teenager, noticing a familiar symbol on his dark blue denim jacket.

"Hey! That's the Capsule Corp. logo on your jacket! Are you one of our employees or something?" Bulma inquired, pointing at the logo. The young man glanced in her direction, his face flushing slightly.

"No…not exactly, I'm just a fan." he responded, looking away from Bulma. She smiled at him and noticed his face reddening.

"Oh I see. Well, tell me your name and I'll recommend you to Dad." she said. The teen responded, keeping up the same vagueness that he had given off before.

"I'm sorry…I can't. I know its strange." he told her. Bulma just smiled again and giggled slightly.

"Oooh! Mystery man!" she said, causing the teen to blush even more. Yamcha and Tien both were fed up with the vagueness as well.

"Is his shoe size a secret too?" Tien asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Yamcha piped up, his fists on his hips.

"Yeah! Why can't I have a secret name? That's not fair. I bet you have a secret spy decoder ring too!" Yamcha said, just as sarcastic as Tien. Bulma turned towards the two men.

"Knock it off you guys! You're just jealous. This guy just beat Frieza single-handedly! So there!" she shouted, showing off her pearly white teeth with a wide grin. Gohan chuckled.

"Right!" he said, nodding. Vegeta mock laughed and Bulma winked at the still mysterious teenager, causing him to blush wildly.

**-One hour later- **

Boredom spread through Vegeta's mind like wildfire. He was hot, sweaty and worst of all, bored. Being with these filthy humans was bad enough but to make matters worse, that stupid boy kept looking at him. After the teen glanced over for the third time, Vegeta finally went off.

"What are you looking at!" Vegeta yelled, his trademark scowl showing. The teen blushed wildly yet again and immediately looked away.

"Oh…nothing, it's just that I…like your shirt." he said, increasing Vegeta's anger. That stupid woman had made him wear the shirt. The hot pink button-down shirt with "Bad Man" embroidered on the back. Vegeta decided that he hated this shirt almost as much as he hated Kakarott.

"You would." Vegeta said insultingly, narrowing his eyes. Bulma and Krillin watched the almost sibling-like rivalry develop from a good fifty feet away, well out of earshot. Bulma leaned towards Krillin and whispered in his ear.

"Hey, now check this out. Is it just me, or do those two really look alike?" she said quietly. Krillin didn't look at her, still staring at Vegeta and the boy.

"Well, now that you mention it, I can kinda see a resemblance. Well, I mean, just in looks. That other guy seems kinda nice, but Vegeta has the personality of a stump." Krillin said. Bulma smiled.

"Well, he's a prince. Princes have to act bored. Like the world's not good enough for them." Bulma said, lowering her voice a little.

"Vegeta seems more agitated than bored. Like he's got a bad case of hemorrhoids or something." Krillin said, half serious. Suddenly, Krillin heard a voice in his ear and a hand on his shoulder, startling him so much, he nearly fell over. Krillin turned around to see Gohan, who was equally startled by Krillin's reaction.

"Watch it, Gohan," he said, "You scared the crap outta me."

"Sorry Krillin," Gohan responded, looking over his shoulder, "But I found something. I don't know what it is."

Krillin looked curious as he looked past Gohan with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't see anything, Gohan. Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?"

Gohan glared at Krillin, making a small fist by his side.

"No! I saw it, Krillin! I'm not crazy," he said, in defense of himself, "Let me take you to it."

Krillin opened his mouth to protest but shut it when he saw the anxious look on Gohan's face. He nodded.

"Ok. Let's go, Gohan." he said. Bulma overheard all of this and stood up, putting her hands on her hips.

"Hey! I'm going too," she said, frowning angrily and putting her hands on her hips, "Just cause I'm a girl, doesn't mean you can leave me out of everything!"

Krillin shook his head, "No, Bulma. We'll just be gone for a little while. If it's something of interest, we'll come back and get you."

With that, Krillin snuck away with Gohan and began to follow him.

"It's right over here!" Gohan shouted, quickly walking towards a group of tall rocks. Krillin followed him into a clearing and saw what Gohan was talking about. An egg-shaped machine with legs like a spider sat in the tiny clearing. Strangest of all, it had a Capsule Corp. logo on the side.

"I told you!" Gohan shouted as Krillin investigated closer. He began to look at the bottom side when he heard Gohan shouting again.

"Krillin! Look at this!" the demi-Saiyan yelled. Krillin looked up and saw Gohan press a tiny button next to the glass top of the machine. The top popped open, revealing a seat and some controls.

"Whoa! Cool!" exclaimed Gohan as he hovered towards the seat and sat down.

"Hey! Be careful, Gohan! I don't know what this thing is…maybe we should show Bulma, after all." Krillin said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. Gohan nodded, giving a last look at the panel. Krillin began to hover away from the machine when a noise pierced the air, a high whistling noise. Gohan looked up and saw the source of the noise. A Saiyan capsule was quickly falling towards Earth. A giant smile formed on Gohan's face as he jumped up from the seat and stood on the thin edge surrounding the control seat.

"It's my dad! It's gotta be!" Gohan shouted cheerfully. Krillin watched the craft fall from the sky and smiled.

"Definitely, bro." Krillin responded. Gohan raised his fist into the air and cheered.

"YEAH", he yelled, leaning a little as the Saiyan ship passed overhead, "W-whoa!"

Gohan gave a surprised yelp as he fell backwards, having lost his balance from leaning. Krillin turned and watched, as if in slow motion, Gohan falling onto the control panel and hitting his head on the side. The panel flashed, a multitude of beeps and lights, as Krillin was helpless to stop the glass top from closing on the machine. Krillin instantly forgot about the Saiyan pod when he heard a low rumbling coming from the machine.

"Oh no…GOHAN!" he screamed, rushing towards the machine as fast as he could. The machine jerked into the air and started speeding straight up. Krillin changed direction and flew towards the machine. It was fast, nearly too fast. Krillin caught up with the ship and got a final look at Gohan's panic-stricken face before the ship instantly disappeared.

**-Elsewhere- **

Gohan saw the worried look on Krillin's face before the surroundings instantly changed. The rocky, desert landscape was replaced by an endless flow of deep cerulean current; a vortex of sorts. He was traveling slowly forward though the blue current, apparently getting nowhere.

"What…" Gohan said to himself, barely thinking. He placed a hand on the back of his head.

"Ow…" he moaned. There was a dull, painful throbbing in the back of Gohan's head and it was only getting worse. He looked out the window, pressing his small hands against the glass. The vortex seemed to be moving quicker…that or the ship was moving faster. Gohan spun around, looking out the other side of the glass, seeing the same, endless current. The throbbing in Gohan's head increased with the speed of the vortex and his glass prison began to spin. He became extremely dizzy and disoriented. His vision blurred and Gohan blindly spun around in this endless Hell of blue. His stomach lurched and Gohan bent over and vomited all over the floor of the machine before fading into unconsciousness…


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Just thought I'd clarify something about this story. Yes, it is romance. No, it is NOT Gohan/Cell romance. Calm yourself.

**Chapter 2- Welcoming Party **

Gohan opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. Along with the deep throbbing in his head, the light coming though the top of the machine was too much. He slowly opened them again and let his eyes adjust to the dull light. Gohan rolled over on his side and propped himself up with an elbow, feeling a sticky wetness on his arm. He looked down and saw that he was leaning in a pool of his own vomit. The oatmeal colored throw-up was staining the blue spandex of Gohan's Saiyan armor.

"_Great…"_ he thought to himself, "_What the heck happened?" _

Gohan crawled into the control seat and looked around, taking in his surroundings.

_"What the…" _

He stood and jumped out of the machine, standing in a completely new environment. Crippled buildings. Piles of rubble. Fires burning wildly. This is what Gohan saw. A devastated world, with no life.

"Oh my God…" he muttered to himself. Gohan stepped forward and started to explore the environment, being careful not to stray too far from the machine. As he walked, Gohan had a bad feeling about this place. A sense of déjà vu, like he'd been there before. He continued to walk through the dead city, not finding any signs of life whatsoever. After five minutes, Gohan saw something that confirmed his feeling of bad déjà vu. The West City mayor's office.

"Oh no…" Gohan whispered to nothing. Something had happened while he was in that machine. Something bad. Gohan opened his mouth to say something else, but no noise came out. He turned and began to run back towards the machine. He didn't know why he was running nor did he know why he needed to get back so badly. It was just a feeling; and Gohan kept running. The machine was getting bigger as he got closer; Gohan increased his speed to a sprint. Fifty feet, almost there. Suddenly, a small pink ball of energy came from nowhere and hit the machine. The sound of the explosion was deafening. Gohan skidded to a halt and fell, landing on his bottom. A massive cloud of dust plumed from the spot where the energy had hit the machine. Gohan sat and waited for the dust to clear.

"What the heck was that?" he asked himself, not realizing that he had even said it out loud. The thick, brown dust finally cleared, and what Gohan saw made him gasp. The machine was gone, nothing but a pile of ashes. In its place, however, stood two people. The first was a tall man with long black hair. He wore a ripped pair of jeans and a shirt, as black as his eyes, along with a bright orange bandana on his neck. The second was a young woman with bright blonde hair. She wore a blue denim jacket and skirt, along with black pants and brown leather boots. They both wore the same, evil grins and had the same narrow eyes.

"This one is so small," commented the woman, "17, you can have him."

The man grinned at her and chuckled, his voice deep and cold, "I couldn't do that, 18. You go and have some fun."

The woman shrugged and rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

She began walking towards Gohan, who scrambled madly to his feet.

"Who are you!" he yelled defensively, shifting into a fighting stance. The woman stopped, as if surprised, and looked back at her male counterpart.

"Quit playing dumb, boy. That won't help you. You know who we are," the man told Gohan, "And you know what we're going to do."

"Wh-What!" Gohan shouted, stumbling backwards, almost falling again. The man and woman laughed simultaneously.

"Well, it's not going to matter for much longer. You're dead." the blonde woman threatened, continuing her pace towards Gohan.

"No! I-I'll fight you!" Gohan yelled, "Haaaaaaaa!"

Gohan rapidly charged his energy and rushed at the woman. She wore a look of shock on her face, but it was quickly replaced by a smirk. Gohan aimed his fist straight at the smirk on the woman's face. Lightning fast, she caught the punch and delivered a powerful knee to Gohan's abdomen. A grunt of pain escaped Gohan's throat as the woman released his hand, letting demi-Saiyan fall to the ground. She stood over him, with hands on her hips, still smirking evilly.

"You're pathetic." she insulted. Without another word, she forcefully kicked Gohan in the ribs, shooting him into the air. He flipped wildly and fell, like a bird without wings, hitting the ground with an audible thud. Gohan felt pain shoot through his left arm like a thousand knives stabbing it at once. He gathered his strength and stood, cradling his broken arm. He could feel the warmth of blood trickling down his forehead.

"I must say, you're tougher than I thought," said the woman, mocking him, "But you're still nothing. I will end this now."

The woman raised her palm and began forming a pink ball of energy. Gohan tried to speak, but nothing came out, his throat was tight. This was it. He was going to die. Suddenly, Gohan heard a voice to his left.

"HEY ANDROIDS!" yelled the voice, "WHY DON'T YOU PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"

The woman stopped charging energy to her palm, letting the pink ball dissipate. Gohan and both his assailants looked over to the source of the voice. Standing on top of an old, tireless car, was a man. He had short, spiky black hair and an equally black soul patch on his chin. His eyes were black as night. The man was dressed in a ragged pair of black jeans, a black T-shirt and a black trench coat.

"Oh look, 18," remarked the man with the bandana, grinning slyly, "It's our friend."

"Indeed it is!" replied the man in black, reaching inside the breast pocket of the trench coat, "And I come to you with a gift."

"And that would be?" inquired the woman, raising a thin eyebrow. The man in black grinned and from his coat, pulled a gray cylindrical object. Gohan narrowed his eyes so he could make out the object better. It had a circular pin at the top. A safety pin. The man was holding a grenade.

"Ah! Another one of your little fire bombs, huh?" the man with the bandana said, "Well, I hate burst your bubble but those don't work on us. You should've noticed that after the first couple times you tried it."

The woman scoffed, "Though, they are quite annoying. I always need a new set of clothes after one of your little tricks."

The man in black chuckled, pulling the pin, "Oh no…this is a different kind. I've been saving it for a special occasion. I think you'll enjoy it very much."

With that, he tossed the grenade. It landed with a metallic clink and rolled towards the man and woman. It came to a halt and didn't explode. The woman looked at it and scoffed again. Her counterpart spoke up.

"Looks like you gave us a dud. What a nice gift, eh 18?" he said, cracking up and laughing. She laughed along with him. The man in black did not respond. He simply reached back into his coat and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses. The laughter stopped when he rested the glasses on the bridge of his nose and smiled. A small, red light on the grenade blinked rapidly and Gohan heard a high pitched whining noise coming from the grenade. He spun around and covered his eyes.

"Uh oh." uttered the woman, before the grenade exploded right in her face. There was a flash of blinding white light. Gohan heard no sound, that is, until the light ceased. Gohan opened his eyes and heard what sounded like fireworks, bottle rockets, going off. He looked up and saw sparks falling from the sky, emitting the noise as they fell to the ground. He looked over to man and woman. They were frozen in place, like mannequins. A pair of gloved hands grabbed Gohan's shoulders.

"C'mon! We gotta get out of here!"

Gohan looked over and saw the man in black had run over to him. He was fast, Gohan was sure.

"I..." Gohan tried to respond, but he was cut off.

"No time! Let's go!" the man yelled, grabbing Gohan's arm and pulling him away. Pain shot through Gohan's broken arm, but he followed, wincing. The man sprinted, and Gohan kept pace with him. They ran down the devastated and abandoned street, curving and hooking, always changing direction.

"W-Where are you taking me?" Gohan asked, breathing heavily. The man didn't look back.

"I'll explain later! We're almost there! By now, they're gonna be back in action and hella pissed!" he yelled, still sprinting.

"_Who the heck is this guy? Who were those people?"_ Gohan thought to himself as they kept running. After what seemed like hours, the two reached another structure Gohan was familiar with; at least, when it was intact. They stood in front of the West City Mall. It was devastated, like a maelstrom of destruction had hit it and hit it hard.

"Follow me." said the man simply, entering the mall. They walked through the mall and Gohan noticed the destruction. Entire stores were wiped out. Chairs were overturned and the certain spots on the walls looked as if they were covered if dried blood. Gohan shuddered.

"What happened here?" Gohan asked. The man looked at him curiously.

"How do you not know? Have you been in a coma for the past twenty years?" he asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Suren was walking quickly, the back of his trench coat flying behind him like a cape.

"I'm only seven, sir." Gohan said, bowing his head slightly.

The man sighed and removed his sunglasses, placing them back inside his breast pocket, "Ok, kid. First off, it's not 'sir'. My name is Suren. Now, do you mind telling me why the hell you were out there all alone?"

"I…I don't know. I was with Krillin…and that machine…I woke up here…" Gohan explained. Suren stopped walking and looked at Gohan, an eyebrow cocked.

"Did you say…Krillin? THE Krillin?" he asked. Gohan shrugged.

"Well, yeah. You know him?"

"Yeah…I mean…I did. When I was little..." Suren responded, leaning up against a wall. Gohan's eyes widened.

"D-Did? What do you mean?" Gohan said, nearly shouting. Suren sighed again.

"Kid…I don't know what you're thinking…'cause Krillin is dead."

"WHAT!" Gohan yelled, tears forming in his eyes, "I WAS JUST WITH HIM!"

Suren ran a nervous left hand through his spiky hair and responded, "That's impossible. Krillin died seventeen years ago."

Gohan's world was spinning. His thoughts bounced around in his head madly. His brain simply overloaded; and for the second time in a day, Gohan's world went black and he faded into unconsciousness…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- Not So Happy Return **

Krillin's mind was racing. He couldn't gather his thoughts. All he could think about was Gohan. He was missing. How was he going to explain this to Piccolo, Bulma, or even Goku? Even worse, would he have to explain it to Chi-Chi? He kept calling the boy's name, holding onto the hope that Gohan wasn't far.

"GOHAN! GOHAN!"

No response. His mind raced faster. Goku was here, finally back from outer space. He'd expect to see his son. How could Krillin deny him that? He had no choice. Gohan, he feared, would not be coming home. At that thought, Krillin arched his back and gave a final cry to the heavens, tears freely streaming down his cheeks.

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAN!"

**-On the ground, half a mile away- **

The crater was immense, unlike anything they'd ever seen before. For such a small craft, that Saiyan pod sure hit the ground hard. The Z Fighters approached it cautiously, not taking any chances. In the past, Saiyan pods had meant bad news one too many times. They crowded around the crater, watching, waiting. There was hiss of hydraulics and the door began to open. A hand shot out and wrapped around the edge of the doorway. Then, a head came out, curiously looking around. They all recognized the trademark wild black hair.

"GOKU!" Yamcha was the first to yell. Goku turned around and smiled. Everyone cheered, aside from Vegeta, who stood with crossed arms.

"Well, hey guys! Good to see ya!" Goku said, stepping out of the Saiyan pod and climbing out of the crater. Looking around, Goku noticed that two people were missing from the group.

"Hey, uh, guys? Where are Gohan and Krillin?" he said, looking around, as if a joke was being played. The Z Fighters looked around.

"Huh? I never even noticed they were gone!" Yamcha said, still glancing left to right.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. They went to check something out. Gohan said he saw something, so he and Krillin went to investigate." Bulma explained. Goku looked around, trying to feel out Krillin and Gohan's power levels. He felt one, but not the other.

"That's weird…I can't feel Gohan's power." Goku said, worry in his voice. Suddenly, a voice cried out from a distance.

"GOHAN! GOHAN!"

Goku quickly recognized the voice, "That's Krillin!"

He quickly took to the air, speeding out of sight within seconds.

"DAMN! He's fast!" Yamcha shouted as he picked up Bulma and flew after Goku, the rest of the Z fighters following close behind. Goku saw Krillin, back arched, screaming at the sky.

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Krillin let his energy slowly bring him to the ground. His feet made contact and Krillin sat, placing his head between his knees. Goku also landed, followed by the Z Fighters, and approached his childhood friend. He kneeled and placed a had on Krillin's shoulder.

"Krillin? What's wrong?" Goku asked with sympathy, "Where's Gohan?"

Krillin sobbed louder at the mention of Gohan's name and shrugged Gohan's hand off. He covered his head with his hands and continued to sob.

"H-H-He's…" Krillin choked through his tears, "Gone…"

"WHAT?" Goku yelled, standing and clenching his fists, "HOW!"

Krillin didn't respond, he just sobbed more. Goku squatted to his friend's level and placed his hands on Krillin's shoulders, looking the man in the eyes.

"Krillin…where is my son?" he asked, calmly. Krillin looked up at Goku. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was stained with drying tears. Krillin took a deep breath and exhaled, collecting his thoughts as best as he could.

"He said he saw something weird…so we went to check it out…it was some kind of machine…"

The purple haired teenager spoke up, "A machine!"

Vegeta glanced over at him, menacingly, "Let the bald man finish, boy!"

Krillin quickly looked at Vegeta and then back at the ground. He took another deep breath before continuing. His words were chocked apart by small sobs.

"We were investigating it…he crawled inside…I told him to be careful…but…he slipped and fell…the machine…it shot up like a rocket…and disappeared."

Goku's heart sank to a deep place within his body. He felt sick. His son was…gone? He looked down at the rocky ground, tears beginning to form in his black eyes. The purple haired teenager sighed heavily and ran a hand through his lavender curls.

"I know what it was." he said simply. Goku's head shot up.

"What! Tell me!" he demanded in an almost threatening manner. The teen sighed again, leaning up against a large rock.

"You're not going to believe this…but that machine was a time machine. My time machine. I come from twenty years in the future. I'm not even supposed to tell you that…but considering the circumstances, I don't think it matters anymore."

Silence was the response from the Z Fighters. Nothing but a small whimper from Krillin.

"So…you're telling me…Gohan is trapped in the future?" he asked, staring at the ground. The teenager nodded.

"I'm afraid so. That also means that I'm trapped in this timeline. I originally came to warn you. In three years time, two androids will appear and if it is anything like my time, they will kill everything and everyone on the Earth…including every one of you. Goku will be rendered useless because of a heart virus…which is part of the reason I came. To give you this."

The teenager reached inside the breast pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out a small bottle. He handed it to Goku.

"This medicine will help you beat that virus, Goku."

Yamcha's face contorted in disgust, "How do we know you're telling the truth? You haven't even told us your name! I don't believe you at all."

The teenager snapped, looking for a moment like Vegeta, and turned to face Yamcha.

"FINE! DON'T BELIEVE ME! EITHER WAY, THOSE ANDROIDS ARE COMING IN THREE YEARS AND IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" he yelled. Yamcha took a step back, shocked at the teenager's audacity. The teen also looked shocked at how he had snapped.

"Look…" he said, calming down, "In my world, Gohan was the only hero we had left. Without him in this time, I don't know what's going to happen. With or without him, we need to prepare for the androids. You guys just need to trust me."

Yamcha gulped and nodded, not wanting to further enrage the Vegeta-like teenager.

"Is…is there anyway we can get Gohan back?" Goku asked, a desperate hope in his voice. The teen nervously chewed on his lip and looked at his watch.

"There is a slight chance. There is a tracking device in the machine…its not working. The device that was put in the machine is designed to work, even across different timelines, unless one of two things happens. One, the battery in the machine dies…or two, the machine is destroyed."

Goku looked up, tears slowly falling from his eyes, "So…there's a chance…"

The teenager nodded, "Yes…he'd have to find and meet up with my mother, however. She built the machine. If it's the battery…he could be back in a matter of days, hours even. But…if the machine was destroyed…it could take…"

He trailed off. Goku looked at him, frowning, "How long?"

"Years…"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry it's taking so long to update. I've been mega-busy with school and football and such. I have been procrastinating quite a bit too. I'll try and keep updating as quickly as I possibly can.**

Chapter 4- Future Revealed

Gohan awoke to the soft sound of voices. Opening his eyes, he discovered nothing but a thick veil of darkness around him. He squinted, letting his eyes adjust to the blackness and was slightly able to make out his surroundings. Through the darkness, Gohan could vaguely make out the shape of the room. It was small, less than ten by ten, but big enough to hold the small bed that Gohan lay in. He propped himself up on one elbow, noticing his clothes had been changed. Instead of the tight spandex of Saiyan armor, Gohan felt a looser kind of material. Feeling around, he discovered he was wearing a white, loose cotton T-shirt and a brown pair of baggy cargo shorts. Even his boots were gone.

"_Where am I? What is this place?"_ he asked himself mentally. Gohan sat up and slowly placed his feet on the floor, the coldness of concrete soothing his sore feet. As he stood, Gohan noticed the makeshift splint and cast on his broken arm. He hadn't noticed it before, as the arm was now completely numb. The voices continued to speak softly, so softly that he couldn't make out the words. A thin beam of light shone through the crack at the bottom of the door, slightly illuminating Gohan's bare feet. As he crept towards the black outline of the door, the voices became louder. He could understand them. He heard two familiar voices, along with an unfamiliar one. He first heard a familiar female voice.

_"…if it's in that kind of condition, I can't fix it. I'll need to build a new one."_

Then, a male voice, Suren's voice.

_"Well, I got there as fast as I could. I used the last Chaff to save him…I hope he's worth it."_

Next, spoke a deep voice.

_"But, it's really him? Maybe we do have hope…"_

The female voice again.

_"It is him. I remember him clearly. And we cannot place our hopes in him…we still need to send him back. If we don't…who knows what the future will bring…"_

Silence. The conversation ended there, and all three participants ceased talking. Gohan removed his ear from the door and turned the knob, opening the door slowly. The hinges cried out as a dim light shot through the opening doorway. Gohan stepped through the doorway and squinted, making out three faces.

"You're finally awake…" said the female voice. Gohan looked around, registering the faces in his mind. He recognized Suren's thin face and spiked jet black hair. To Gohan's right was a larger man, of African-American descent, wearing a thin white shirt. He was massive, mounds of muscle stretching the shirt in every possible spot, and a good six and a half feet tall. Between the two men sat a familiar woman. The face was identical…no, it was tired, as tired as Gohan had ever seen. The face of a worn, old woman gazed back at him. The hair was different, rather than a bright teal, her hair was of a faded blue, messy and unkempt. Her eyes were tired as well, staring blankly at the surprised Gohan.

"B…Bulma?" Gohan asked simply, stepping forward to examine her further. Her weary eyes looked him up and down as she forced a smile.

"Gohan…" she said. He stepped up to the table, sitting down in an empty chair. The two men exchanged glances and looked back at Gohan and Bulma.

"Bulma…what happened to you? Where's Krillin? And Piccolo and Vegeta?" Gohan questioned, his voice trembling with worry. Bulma tilted her head slightly downward and sighed, closing her eyes.

"You mean…you don't know?" she asked him, eyes still shut. Gohan looked to Suren and then to the black man.

"Know what?" he asked, looking back at Bulma and leaning forward. The black man scoffed and turned around, crossing his arms. Suren kept his eyes fixed like a hawk on Gohan.

Bulma sighed again, "Gohan…you poor boy…I'm afraid you won't be going home for quite some time..."

"Why?! I wanna go home! I wanna see Mommy!" Gohan said, raising his voice. Bulma looked up and opened her tired eyes.

"That machine you were in was a time machine, sent back along with my son to warn you of what was to come." she explained.

"You mean that guy was…"

"My son. You know me; I believe you already have met Suren. This is Conrad." Bulma said, introducing the black man. He turned around and nodded in Gohan's direction.

"Like the lady said, the name's Conrad. You can call me 'Tank' though, everybody does." his deep voice booming through the small room.Gohan nodded and thought more about what Bulma had told him.

"A…time machine? What was to come…? You mean this is…I'm in…the future?"

Bulma nodded, "Yes. A broken future. Twenty years in the future to be exact. Humanity is on the brink of extinction…thanks to them…"

"Who?" Gohan asked. Suren spoke up.

"Are you blind? Those things that attacked you! The Androids…"

Bulma nodded again, "Built by Dr. Gero. Their main goal was to kill your father, but now that he's gone, they've resorted to killing all humans."

Tears began to form in Gohan's eyes, "My Daddy is…"

"Dead…I'm sorry, Gohan, but everyone else is dead too. Krillin, Piccolo, even Vegeta…I am the lone survivor of the group." Bulma said, gravely, slowly re-lowering her head.

Gohan began to sob, "No…Daddy…"

Suren walked over to the sobbing child and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. Gohan looked up, his face already streaked with tears and his eyes red.

"Hey kiddo…I know what you're feeling right now…my parents were killed by the androids too. You've gotta be strong…and from what Bulma told me, you may be able to get back to your own time…"

"R-Really?"

Suren nodded, "Yeah. C'mon kid. Let's take a walk. I'll explain everything more in depth."

Gohan nodded and smiled slightly, wiping his eyes. He stood up, getting out of his chair and followed Suren, as he walked out the door. Bulma and Conrad looked at each other.

"I've never seen Suren act that way…'cept 'round Ki…"

"Well, he did know Gohan...the one from our time, I mean. He was like a big brother to Suren." Bulma said, still looking at the door through which Gohan and Suren had left. Conrad nodded and looked down at Bulma, towering over her.

"You really think you can send him back?"

Bulma forced a smile, "It'll take some time. Years, maybe, but I'm sure I can build another. That is…if they don't kill us first…"

Conrad nodded, "Yeah...I hope we can last that long…ever since he got here, I've had a bad feeling about what's left of our future…"

He pulled up a chair and sat next to Bulma, who had her head down on the gray table, resting it comfortably in her arms. Conrad leaned back in the chair. They both sat there for the next couple hours…pondering their future…and waiting…

****

GASP!!!

WHAT ROLE WILL CONRAD PLAY IN FIGHTING THE ANDROIDS?!

WHAT IMPACT WILL SUREN HAVE ON GOHAN?!

WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS 'KI'?!

WILL I EVER SHUT UP?!

Yes. Now be good little boys and girls and await my next update.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Welcome to Avedis**

The door shut behind them with an audible bang, echoing throughout the long concrete hallway ahead. Shivers were sent up Gohan's spine, as the temperature quickly dropped.

"Sorry 'bout that" Suren said, "These halls are too big to heat. Especially with whatever reserves of energy we have left."

Gohan nodded as they began walking down the dimly light, gray hall, footsteps echoing.

"I suppose I should explain this further…you must be confused."

Gohan nodded again, walking next to Suren and looking up at him. Suren cleared his throat and began.

"Seventeen years ago, in your time, a madman named Dr. Gero built two androids. They were evil beings, programmed to kill your father. The thing is…Goku was killed not by the androids, but by a heart virus. Without him, the rest of the Z Fighters were easily dispatched by the androids. Every last one of them. Except for you, Gohan."

Gohan looked stunned, "Me?"

"Yes. You survived their initial assault and saved the rest of us. You helped us build a small resistance against them. A resistance consisting of you, Conrad, myself, my parents, Bulma and her son, Trunks." Suren explained further, looking forward as the pair continued walking down the long hall.

"Trunks…he's the guy with the sword and the purple hair, right?"

Suren nodded, "That's correct. The reason he was in your time was to give your father medication that would prevent the virus that killed him. He was supposed to warn you of the androids and then return to us with information regarding the situation in the past…"

Suren cleared his throat and continued revealing the future's events to Gohan, "Anyways…the members of the resistance were not the only survivors. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people are still alive thanks to you. They now live in underground cities, hidden throughout the world. Our problem is…the androids have gotten wise to our tricks. They know about the cities and are systematically finding and destroying each one. Thankfully, I was able to get you away before they could follow me."

Gohan stared at the concrete floor as he walked, overwhelmed with information. Suddenly, he looked up at Suren, sounding exited.

"Hey! The future me sounds really cool! When do I meet him?"

Suren halted. The echoes of his footsteps stopped as he stared blankly down the hall.

"You don't." Suren said, still staring down the hallway. Gohan expression changed to confusion.

"W…why not?"

Suren cocked his head and looked down at Gohan.

"Because he's dead. He died fighting them…" Suren trailed off. Gohan stared back at Suren in sadness.

"I'm sorry…"

Suren cleared his throat and continued walking, eager to change the subject.

"Anyways, as I was saying, the androids have caught on to the cities and have been destroying them recently. Only four cities remain… Lenneth, Avedis, Shade and the largest, Reach."

"Creative names." Gohan remarked. Suren chuckled and nodded as the pair trekked through the long hallway.

"Yes, they are. Now, we are currently heading south, towards the city of Avedis. To the west is Lenneth, to the east is Shade and to the north is Reach."

Gohan narrowed his eyes, squinting to make out the darkness ahead of them. He recognized a familiar shape, the shape of a door.

"If we're going to the city, where were we before?"

"Each city has its own command post, manned by three people. The post is the only way in or out of the city, save for the emergency exits, which lead to the sewers."

They approached the solid metal door and Suren turned the handle. The door creaked and wailed on its hinges as it opened. Suren stepped inside the room and Gohan cautiously followed him. They entered a large, tall room with high concrete walls. At the other end of the empty room were steel double doors. Gohan noticed they had no handles. Suren stepped towards the door and punched a number in on the keypad on the wall. Then, he spoke.

"Lieutenant Suren. Avedis command, 13497."

The keypad let out a small beep and the doors hissed, sliding open. The next room was not a room at all. Ahead of Gohan and Suren were barbed wire fences, the only way through being a rubber lined hole in the fence. Through the fence, Gohan saw the city. Gohan saw several gray buildings, none of which cleared two floors. He was too far away to make anything else out.

Two men, clad in army camouflage, stood on both sides of the entrance, armed with XM8 automatic machine guns. One was clean shaven; he looked like a man not past his 20's. The other was older looking, blackish- gray hair and a thick mustache. They nodded at Suren and glanced defensively at Gohan.

"Its ok, boys. He's with me. He was alone above ground and I'm bringing him in."

The soldiers both chuckled and the one with the mustache spoke up.

"Bringing back strays again, eh Suren?" he laughed, his voice gruff and deep. Suren chuckled, but didn't respond as he stepped through the hole in the fence. Gohan heard the buzz of electricity as he passed through the fence. They stepped into the city. Gohan saw the city more clearly now. It was unclean, to say the least. The buildings Gohan had seen looked abandoned, but he saw shadows through the windows. People sat on the street, a street on which no cars existed. The people looked dirty, almost like they were homeless, and they sat, doing nothing. People were huddled around flaming, burning trash cans for warmth. The city looked no better than West City had, except there were no androids in this one. At the end of the long street was a building, taller and cleaner than the rest. It was midnight black, rather than gray. Suren looked on at the building and spoke to Gohan.

"Welcome to Avedis."

**AN: Sorry this took so long. School's been crazy. And it took forever to think of the names of the four cities. I swear I'm trying my best to write as much as possible. sweatdrop**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- Preparation **

_Sorry this has taken so long. Um…my computer has been acting up…yeah! That's it! It's my computer's fault! _

_Gohan: Liar! You've been sitting on your ass! Watching TV and eating pizza! And drinking Jolt!_

_Me: Shut up! SHUT UP! And what are you doing out of the story?! Shouldn't you be in the future somewhere?_

_Gohan: Not when you don't write! Then I can-- -falls over after being hit with a shovel-_

_Me: -looks around with shifty eyes- …on with the story…-drags Gohan's body away-_

**AN: This chapter takes place approximately ONE year after Gohan's disappearance. The Z Fighters are all busy training for the androids, all except for one…**

Krillin, Yamcha and Tien were exhausted. They all sat, sweating and hot, by a waterfall in the forest. Their training had been intense and now it was time for a break.

"Whew!" Krillin said breathlessly, letting himself slide into the pool of water next to the waterfall.

"Good idea!" Yamcha exclaimed, joining him. Tien let his legs slide into the icy cold water, letting out a relieved sigh. Krillin looked around thoughtfully at his tired training partners and rubbed his bald head.

"Man, and that purple haired guy says we aren't even close to the androids power!" Krillin exclaimed, referring to the still-mysterious teenager, "I sure hope Goku snaps out of it soon…"

Yamcha nodded, "He's our only real chance. The purple haired guy says even as a Super Saiyan, he's no match and that Goku is our only hope. Besides, its just not like Goku to do something this drastic. I mean, it's been a YEAR! "

Tien quickly cut in, "He did lose his son, guys. Give the man some time to cope."

Krillin sighed, "I guess you're right, Tien…"

The group all looked up into the quickly darkening evening, stars shimmering and blinking in a dark blue blanket of sky…

**-At the Son household- **

Chi-chi stared blankly at the book in her hands, sitting on the floor, her form crumpled in a corner of the Son House kitchen. Goku was out yet again, searching and hoping, leaving Chi-chi alone at the house. Yet another tear fell from her delicate nose, staining the page of the old photo album. Whimpering slightly, she turned the page, revealing pictures of Gohan's 4th birthday. The little boy that she remembered was feasting joyfully on a quite large chocolate cake with red icing. One of the few moments, she remembered, that Gohan had been allowed to eat that much sugar. Flipping the page again and instantly staining it with another tear, she saw the aftereffects of the cake feast. Gohan was running around the yard like crazy, Goku chasing him, and climbing high in a tree.

"Oh…oh…Gohan…" Chi-chi whimpered, tossing the album to the ground and burying her face in her hands. Her heart ached, more so than it ever had. The aching had gotten worse and worse as the calendar turned, as the day she had grown to hate grew farther away. The day her little boy had disappeared. No mother should ever have to mourn the loss of a child…why has this happened to her?

"Gohan…where are you? Mommy needs you, Gohan…Mommy needs you…" she cried out, tears freely flowing from her eyes. She pounded her fist against the ground, again and again, letting her anger out on the hardwood floor. Her strikes became less and less forceful, the pills she had taken earlier finally taking effect. She let out a final cry before succumbing to the effects of the pills and blacking out, crumpling to the floor. For the first time in a full year, Chi-chi was able to sleep easily. The nightmares, however, did not stop…

**-North Pow Forest, approximately 100 miles from the Son House- **

A dark shadow moved deep inside the cave, making the small animals outside scurry away. Footsteps echoed throughout the hollow, empty cave. The figure moved closer and closer to the exit, following the pale light shinning though the hole. After what seemed like hours, the figure exited the cave, no longer a figure. Stepping into the moonlight, the shadowy form was revealed. A man stood there, breathing heavily and sweating. His pale tan skin was illuminated in the moonlight, his spiky jet black hair shimmering and shining. His sharp face, lined by thick stubble on his chin, and bloodshot eyes were accented by shadows. His orange clothes were dirty and stained, ripped and torn in many places.

"G-Gohan…" the man uttered, falling to his knees. He let out an exasperated sigh before giving in to his utter exhaustion and passing out, falling onto the ground of the forest floor. The former hero, former fighter, then slept in the moonlight, sleeping the black, dreamless sleep of the damned…**  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- Enter Zeno**

_You've entered our world now. The people, they all think you're dead. You must hide in the masses. No one can know who you really are. You will talk like us, walk like us, act like us. You must become one of us. This is truly the only way to prevent chaos and confusion within our world. There is already enough chaos above ground, you know that firsthand. We don't need any down here. Good luck, Gohan._

It had been a full year, by Gohan's count, since Suren had said those words. Gohan still hadn't gotten used to the nickname given to him by Conrad. The large man had dubbed the demi-Saiyan as Zeno.

"Everyone's gotta have a cool nickname, man. You definitely look like a Zeno to me." the massive man told Gohan. The name, much to Gohan's dismay, stuck. Suren and Bulma began calling him that to help him keep his cover and many of the citizens Gohan encountered knew him by Zeno, as well.

Leaning back in his chair, Gohan took glanced around his messy room. Living in the shabby building in Avedis was fine with Gohan, especially since some of the citizens were sleeping on the streets. He looked around the room, taking in everything that was in it. Pictures. At least five on the wooden desk Gohan sat at, three on the nightstand next to the bed and various snapshots were scattered and hanging on the cold, concrete walls. Gohan leaned forward and carefully studied the photos on the desk. The largest one caught his eye. It was a picture of himself at four years old, his father and mother. They were sitting outside, under the large tree in the yard. Gohan remembered this picture, he remembered it clearly. And he remembered the past. The days when he had a home and a family. The memories collided with him hard. Gohan sank down in his chair, lay his head down on the desk and wept. It wasn't long until the boy fell asleep, dreaming of the way things used to be.

**-Just outside Gohan's room-**

The crying subsided less than half an hour after it started. Suren removed his ear from the door and turned to face Conrad. The large man was leaning against a concrete pillar, arms crossed.

"Well?" he asked as Suren looked at him, "He ok?"

Suren nodded, "He's fine. I was beginning to wonder whether or not he would break down like this. He's strong, I'll give him that. I hope it lasts."

"Hell yeah. He may be the only shot we got in beatin' the androids." Conrad said. Suddenly, a phone rang. Suren reached inside his coat and pulled out the ringing cell phone and flipped it open.

"Yeah? What is it?"

He paused.

"It's WHAT?!" he yelled into the phone. Conrad wore a look of confusion on his face, watching Suren. Suren calmed down slightly and spoke again.

"We'll be right there."

Suren closed the phone and gave a Conrad a grave look.

"Shade has been compromised."

Conrad's eyes grew wider, "Oh shit!"

Suren nodded, "Hoffman wants us back at base ASAP."

"Don't gotta tell me twice."

Conrad opened the door leading out into the street, holding it open for Suren.

"Let's go." he said, closing it behind him. The pair began to sprint towards the large, black building at the end of the street…****

AN: Ok, guys. I know, I know. I suck. Football is over and I still don't update. Well, that's because I've been playing Gears of War. It kicks ass, so shut up. Anyways, I'll promise yet again to try and update more often and all that jazz. I've also been thinking about starting another story after this one outside of the DBZ genre. Something survival horror, perhaps?

P.S.- to James, AKA thestinger12- Ok, I know you didn't like this chapter. So, shut it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- The Androids Arrive**

Piccolo thought deeply to himself as he flew. He was heading towards the island at which the androids were supposed to appear that very day. The Namek had a bad, foreboding feeling about the coming hours, though the weather was clear and sunny.

_I wish I could've done more to prepare. I feel like there was so much more I could've done…I could've gotten faster…I could've gotten stronger!_

Piccolo tried to shake the uneasy feeling to no success. How strong were the androids? Could he beat them without Goku? He'd had help in Goku before, but now it did not seem to look good. Piccolo hadn't seen or heard from Goku since the day Gohan disappeared. The former hero had withdrawn from the world, into solitude and isolation. Piccolo had tried a couple times to find Goku, searching his house and surrounding property, but to no avail. Goku's energy had dropped to an undetectable level and Piccolo assumed Goku for dead. Chi-Chi was nowhere to be found either; the house was dusty and messy, as if abandoned and left to rot.

_I sure hope I'm ready for this..._

The island came into view, a major city at its heart, with small villages dotted throughout the landscape. Other than that, it was wilderness. Piccolo sensed three power levels in a clearing, just north of the city. He sped towards it and landed, greeting Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and Bulma with a determined glare.

"Piccolo!" Krillin exclaimed when he saw his old enemy touch down. Piccolo didn't respond and glanced around, taking in his surroundings and evaluating the power levels of his comrades. Bulma and Krillin had been chatting excitedly about the newborn she held in her arms. Yamcha was sitting on a rock, his arms and legs crossed and his eyes tightly shut. Tien stood away from the group, looking outward and gazing towards the sea.

"You'll never guess who this little guy's father is, Piccolo!" Krillin challenged. Piccolo was annoyed at this and didn't respond, still glaring.

"I-I guess you don't have to guess," Krillin gulped. "Vegeta. The father is Vegeta."

Yamcha sighed loudly, knowing that Bulma would hear his disappointment. Piccolo chuckled, his laugh slightly menacing as always.

_What are the chances of that…_

"Well…since we're on the subject, where is Vegeta?" Piccolo asked, approaching Bulma.

"I don't have a clue. I really haven't seen him around lately," Bulma replied. "I know he was training to come here, but with the baby and all, I guess I kinda just lost track of him."

Piccolo grunted in approval of the answer, "I have no doubt that he'll show up. The arrogant prick can never pass up a good fight."

Tien turned and looked at the group, taking a few steps forward.

"I left Chiaotzu with Roshi. To be honest with you, I don't think the little guy would stand much of a chance out here." he said, matter-of-factly. Piccolo nodded in agreement. Krillin looked back to Bulma.

"Bulma, what time is it?" he asked. Bulma checked her watch and looked back at Krillin.

"It's about 9:30. Why?" she questioned. Piccolo turned to face Bulma as well.

"Get out of here. The androids will be here in a half hour." he warned. Bulma chuckled slightly and smiled.

"Don't worry, I just wanna see what these things look like and then I'll go." she said, still chuckling a bit. Piccolo nodded and walked over to the cliff, getting a great view of the city below. Tien approached him, not looking at Piccolo, but taking in the hawk-eye view as well.

"This is it," he said, "Only 30 minutes until show time."

**-At Capsule Corp.-**

"Helloooo! Grampa's home! And I've got a new toy for you, Trunks!"

Dr. Briefs opened the door to his grandson's nursery, holding a circular toy, only to find it empty.

"Now where did Bulma take him?" he said to himself, a bit disappointed. He took another look around and sat on the floor, crossing his legs.

"I guess that daughter of mine is showing him off to the neighbors again," he said, pinching out his cigarette and placing the butt in his front pocket. "I guess I'll just wait."

He set the toy on the floor between his legs.

"Now, let's take a look at this thing. To get the cute little thing to come out, all I've gotta do is press this button." he said to himself, looking the toy over. "Ah yes."

He found and pressed the small yellow button on the edge of the toy. Grinning to himself, he waited for the surprise.

_BANG!_

Dr. Briefs fell back and let out a small cry, scared stiff because of the noise. Within milliseconds, a massive, inflated plastic bird has popped out. The ugly, pink thing was wobbling back and forth, but Dr. Briefs felt accomplished nonetheless.

**-Back on the cliff, 15 minutes later-**

Piccolo spotted a figure flying quickly towards them. It was far away enough, however, he could not make out what it was.

"Something's coming!" he said alertly. Krillin's face turned to slight terror.

"I-Is it them?" he gulped.

Piccolo kept watching the figure, arms crossed, "I don't know."

As the figure approached, Krillin's fear left him. They all recognized the shape. It was Yajirobe driving a Capsule Car hovercar. He set the ship down and hopped out.

"Yajirobe!" Krillin yelled. "You came to help us fight the androids!"

Yajirobe raised an eyebrow and glanced at Krillin, raising a small brown bag, "What are you? Crazy? I'm just here to deliver Korin's senzu beans.

"Oh…" Krillin said, a bit disappointed, taking the bag from Yajirobe, "Give my regards to Master Korin."

Yajirobe had already turned around and was getting back into the hovercar, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm outta here."

Not another word was said as Yajirobe flew the hovercar quickly out of sight again. Tien was the fight to break the silence. He and Piccolo had completely ignored Yajirobe's appearance and were still overlooking the city below.

"Don't you guys think it's a little strange? It's already past 10 and there's no sign of those androids."

"Yeah," agreed Yamcha, closing his eyes with pride, "And if they were nearby, we'd sense their power levels. Sorry to break it to you guys, but those androids just aren't coming."

_BANG!_

A loud explosion shook the ground under them. A gray cloud of smoke spread throughout the sky above them. As the group looked up, they saw a small hovercar spiraling out of control, spinning into the raging ocean below. Yajirobe's hovercar.

"Oh no!" yelled Krillin, "There they are!"

Krillin pointed up into the sky at two small figures. They were too far away to get a good look and there was no power level to be sensed, but they were definitely the androids. They watched as the figures descended from the sky and into the city below, disappearing in the mass of people and traffic.

"Damn! I can't sense them!" Piccolo growled, clenching his fists, "I guess we're doing this the old fashioned way. Krillin, go get Yajirobe. Tien, Yamcha, you guys come with me. We gotta split up and find them before they hurt anyone!"

"Right." Krillin nodded and took over towards the ocean while the others went towards the city. Bulma and baby Trunks were left behind.

Krillin sped towards the ocean, spotting the wreckage of the hovercar and the black smoke billowing from its burning engine. Krillin circled the wreck, looking for Yajirobe, to no avail. The fat samurai was nowhere to be found. Krillin had almost given up hope when he heard a cry behind him.

"Ugh! H-help!" the voice of Yajirobe cried out. Krillin turned and smiled as he saw Yajirobe struggling to stay above the waves.

"I-I can't swim!" he yelled, much to Krillin's amusement. The fat man looked like, no pun intended, a fish out of water. Krillin chuckled slightly and swooped down, plucking Yajirobe out of the water and flying him back to the cliff where Bulma was standing. Yajirobe sat down on the grass, drenched and overly pissed off.

"You're welcome." Krillin remarked when Yajirobe didn't utter a word. The fat man looked up at Krillin.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks. Whatever." he grunted. Bulma wore a look of worry and concern on her face as she stared down into the city, which now had smoke billowing and fire raging in some parts.

"You'd better get down there, Krillin." she told him.

Krillin nodded, "Right."

He took off and began to look for his friends, amongst the fire and flames.

**-Deep in the city-**

Yamcha started his search for the androids uptown. He followed the trail of bodies and fire, a combination of the two leaving a sickly sweet smell of death in the air. He walked to an intersection and looked around at the destruction left by the androids. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw two people behind him. One was short and quite fat and pale; the other was taller and quite older than the other, sporting a long white mustache.

"You guys better get outta here; there's a couple of androids on the loose!" he warned, turning completely. They did not reply. It was then Yamcha noticed the symbol on the older man's hat. The symbol of the Red Ribbon Army. Startled, he jumped back and went into a defensive position.

"You…you can't be…" he yelled, startled.

The old man laughed, "Yes…we are they…"

Yamcha started to yell desperately, trying to warn the others, "GUYS! THEY'RE OVER HERE!!"

The old man raised his hand, there was a red circle in his palm, and glared at Yamcha. In a matter of milliseconds, the man had made his way over to Yamcha and grabbed Yamcha's face, lifting the warrior right off the ground. Yamcha tried to scream, but couldn't, he felt his energy leaving him.

"Yes…such wonderful energy." remarked the old man, "And now you are of no use to us."

The old man raised his other hand and punched Yamcha in the gut. He felt the hand penetrate skin…and muscle. He felt the fist punch through his spine and out his back, rendering him paralyzed and unconscious. Krillin, Piccolo and Tien all touched down simultaneously, just in time to see the old man throw Yamcha like a rag doll, his body hitting the ground with a heavy thud and blood pooling around his unmoving body…


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N- First off all, a big thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Also, I've been caught up in school lately, as always. But anyways, at least this chapter is long.**

Chapter 9- Narrow Escape

Colonel David Hoffman stared blankly at the flashing monitors. He saw carnage, nothing but bloody, gory carnage. The live feed from Shade had turned into a sea of flame and a river of blood, since he began watching two hours ago. He hadn't left the screen since. He was the only man in the room not moving, aside from the soldiers assigned to guard the entrance. All the other soldiers in the HQ's control room were busy monitoring the other cities and going about their alert duties.

"Bloody hell…" he said, his once crisp British accent now dull. Two hours ago, those machines, those monsters, they found Shade and had set it ablaze in less than 45 minutes. They spent the next hour or so finding and killing every last human in the compound. He had watched soldiers fight, or attempt to, and die in the process. He has even witnessed his comrade, Colonel Sean Foley being interrogated for the locations and then murdered by those soulless machines. The images played over and over like a movie in his mind. He had seen people die before, hell, even killed some himself, but never in all his sixty-two years had he seen anything so brutal or heartless. Foley kept refusing, even as the androids broke every bone he had, effectively ending his life with a quick and sharp snap of the neck. The wet crack of bone, especially, repeated in his brain, burned in there forever.

Hoffman's attention shifted when he heard running steps behind him. He turned to find two of his lieutenants, standing straight and saluting. They were sweaty and out of breath.

"Ah. Jackson. Amery. At ease, men." Hoffman told them. Conrad and Suren dropped out of their salute and relaxed their tired muscles.

"You already know why you're here, I assume. Correct?" Hoffman said, beginning their briefing.

"Shade has been compromised, sir." Suren replied, not missing a beat. Hoffman grunted in affirmation and walked to the monitors, pointing at the bloody wreck the city had become.

"Those bastards did this in less than an hour. They're out of the city and, I'm assuming, searching for the next. They were last seen heading south…meaning they're coming straight for us." Hoffman told the men. Suren sighed and crossed his arms.

"Shit." muttered Conrad. Hoffman nodded.

"Shit indeed, Jackson. Look men," he said "I need you two to get Briefs out of here. She's the best damn scientist the Resistance has and we can't have her getting killed. I want her out of here and secured safely in Lenneth, ASAP. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Suren replied, "The tunnels are open, I assume."

"No. Sorry boys, but the tunnels are sealed, as per emergency alert regulations. You'll have to go above ground." replied Hoffman. Suren silently cursed to himself, but joined Conrad in giving a salute and starting to walk away. As they reached the door, Hoffman called out to them.

"Amery!" he yelled as Suren turned, "When you get there, protecting Briefs is your number one concern. I don't want you wandering off because _she_ is there."

The emphasis on the word 'she' made Suren raise an eyebrow. So it was true. She _was _in Lenneth. Suren made a mental note to find her as soon as he reached Lenneth.

"Of course, sir. I wouldn't think of it." he said, leaving the room without another word.

Hoffman scoffed to himself, turning back to the monitors, leaning on the control panel, and muttered, "Don't fuck this up, boy…"

**-Back at the command post-**

An explosion shook Gohan from his slumber. Lifting his head and looking around, Gohan once again remembered where and when he was. The demi-Saiyan pushed his chair away from the wooden desk and stood up, arching his back and stretching with a yawn. Another explosion sounded, rumbling and shaking the small concrete room, the hanging lamp swinging back and forth, illuminating the room in a show of swaying shadows. Gohan sighed, vaguely wondering in the back of his mind what had caused the rumbling. Still not fully awake, the possibility of it being an attack was far from his first thought.

"Darn. I need a haircut." he said to himself with a yawn, brushing his shaggy, raven black hair away from his eyes. He opened the door of his room and stepped into the small concrete command center. Bulma was sitting at the dark wooden table, slowly sipping from a clear, plastic water bottle.

"Hello, Gohan" she said with a smile, her gray eyes showing some sparkle again, at least, more than they had when Gohan first arrived. Gohan walked over and pulled out a chair, sitting down opposite the female scientist. Brushing his hair from his eyes again, Gohan looked Bulma in the eyes.

"Hi Bulma. How are things going with the time machine?" he asked, hopeful of a positive answer. Bulma smiled again, weakly and took another sip of water.

"Things are going fine. It's not pretty, but it'll work. Give it a couple weeks." she told him. Gohan smiled at the answer, happy to have some good news. He could finally go home after three years.

"My, my, Gohan. Your hair is getting a little long," she added, almost reading Gohan's mind, "Let me give you a haircut."

She pulled from her lab coat pocket, a Swiss army knife and flicked open the mini-scissors, standing. Gohan nodded and sat still as Bulma began to snip away his long hair, strand by strand.

**-Outskirts of Avedis-**

Suren and Conrad approached the security gate on the outskirts of Avedis, almost through when the first explosion hit. A deafening bang shook the compound, as concrete and steel freely fell from the ceiling, about 400 yards away. They saw two figures descend into the city and start blasting. The androids.

"SHIT!" Suren cursed, Conrad nodding in agreement, "Let's go!"

Busting through the metal door and into the tunnels, the two sprinted as fast as their legs could desperately pump. They heard the screams and explosions behind them, not wanting to turn and face their possible fate, but kept running as fast as they could. Finally reaching the steel door and busting through in a hurry, they found Bulma cutting Gohan's hair, which was now medium-short in length, but incredibly uneven. Both looked up at Suren and Conrad, obviously very startled.

"We have to go. NOW!" Suren shouted. Conrad was already at the gun case, loading magazines of 5.56 x 45 mm NATO armor piercing rounds into two H&K G36K assault rifles.

"What?" Bulma questioned, still startled. Suren grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the exit.

"They're here." He said, taking a G36K from Conrad and cocking the bolt, "And we need to get you to Avedis. Hoffman's orders. You too Gohan."

"But why the rush? The tunnels are secure, right?" Bulma said. Suren shook his head.

"No. In an emergency like this, the tunnels are sealed to prevent further discovery of the other compounds. We have to go from the outside."

Gohan stood, exchanging a worried look with Bulma, as Suren took a loaded .45 USP handgun from Conrad and holstered it. He then punched a gray button on the keypad of the wall. A hydraulic hiss and a small elevator platform slowly lowered to the ground. Conrad began filling his vest pockets with incendiary and M26 fragmentation grenades and finished his preparation by tying a black bandana on his forehead. He noticed Gohan looking at the bandana.

"It was my grandpa's, from the war. Brings me luck." he said to Gohan. Suren and Conrad then nodded at each other, both making sure the other was ready to go.

"Let's do this." Suren said, as the group of four stepped onto the emergency elevator platform that had opened up. Pressing the small red button on the side, the elevator began to rise up, breaching the surface of the rubble. Looking around, they saw familiar, grave surroundings. The city and world they once knew; destroyed.

"It's ten miles to the Lenneth outpost. Let's get a move on." Conrad said, starting to walk at marching pace west towards Lenneth, unknowing of the dangers that waited…and the costly toll that would be demanded…


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Holy SHIT. You know, I never intended to leave this story for as long as I did. I really didn't. I began another original story with my fursona (yes, I have one) and totally forgot about this story. Major apologies. Anyways, I'll try my best to finish this story. It'll be hard though, my original story is my main priority. But sorry for not updating in about 7 months. You can read my original stuff and see some of my art on my dA. www.ethondanteozen. ******

Chapter 10- Risky Business

Piccolo glanced Yamcha's bleeding body and quickly looked back at his foes. Trying to sense for power levels, he realized that they had none and were, indeed, the androids that boy had spoken of.

"Krillin. Take Yamcha to Bulma and give him a Senzu bean. Go, now!" Piccolo shouted, cocking his head towards Krillin. Krillin nodded and cautiously walked over to Yamcha's body, keeping an eye on the androids, both of which hadn't moved at all. He picked up the body of Yamcha, draping him over his shoulder, and took off. Piccolo waited until Krillin was gone to make the first remark.

"You guys look kind of strange to me. Especially for androids." he told them, rewarded by a surprised look from the old man. The fat, pale one remained expressionless and silent. The look of surprise was replaced by a look of smugness, as the old man chuckled.

"You knew we were androids. And where we would start our attack. I'm surprised. Smart for a Namek." he remarked, grinning, "May I ask how you knew?"

It was Piccolo's turn to chuckle, "If you're as strong as we've heard, you should make us tell you."

The old, mustached android laughed evilly, "Well, now that sounds like a wonderful idea. Doesn't it, 19?"

"Yes." the fat, pale android simply replied, his high voice scratchy, like a broken doll. 

Piccolo retorted, "Well then, let's take this somewhere else. Somewhere without so many distractions."

Finishing the sentence, he took to the sky, veering away from the city and flying towards the desert wasteland, past the outskirts. The androids followed suit, easily keeping up with Piccolo and Tien as they made their way to the desert. Piccolo kept leading them away from the city until the mustached man spoke up.

"This is far enough," he said, descending onto the ground, "We fight here."

Piccolo and Tien nodded, descending and landing less than thirty feet from their enemies. As soon as his feet hit the ground, Piccolo's mind was calculating, his eyes scanning their surroundings. The old man wasted no time commencing the battle.

"Which one of you two will fight 19 first?" he asked the group, his voice unnervingly casual, "I know one of you is eager."

Tien exchanged a glance with Piccolo, who cleared his throat.

"Me." he replied, keeping his voice cool and collected. A single bead of sweat traced is way down the side of Piccolo's stone expression. The sun beat down in waves as the two fighters stepped forward, glaring.

"Hm!" mocked the fat, pale robot, grinning evilly as he stared Piccolo down. A couple minutes passed, seeming like an eternity of sun, sweat and stares. Piccolo grew tired of his opponent's overconfidence and finally broke the unbearable silence.

"Come at me." he stated, his voice as confident as his mind. The confidence was broken when the android called 19 disappeared into thin air. Piccolo's eyes widened as he rapidly scanned the area, searching for any trace of a power level, finding nothing.

Tien shouted from behind, "PICCOLO!"

Before the Namek could even think, a pair of cold, metal alloy arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Ugh!" he shouted, as the arms of 19 squeezed with a pressure that made it not overly painful, but impossible to move. Tien jumped to help, but in the blink of an eye, the mustached man was in front of him.

"You won't interfere." he said, holding his arms out, "Unless you can go through me."

Tien backed off, knowing full well that he had no chance. Piccolo struggled and shot his arms outward, breaking the android's hold and spun, kicking the android directly in the face. 19 stumbled backwards but responded with a quick jab. Piccolo dodged and grabbed the android's arm and karate chopped it; the arm severed at the elbow.

"Yaaaaaaaaagh!" the android screamed, maybe in pain, maybe in shock. He retreated a few feet and stared at the Namek in shock. Piccolo glanced at the robotic arm he was holding and dropped it, crushing it with his foot. The android was pissed. He charged Piccolo and engaged him, losing every time. Piccolo was simply landing every punch and before long, the android was quickly losing power.

"Well, the Namek can fight." A voice said from behind Tien. Startled, Tien nearly turned and punched Vegeta in the face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tien yelled, looking over Vegeta's shoulder and seeing Trunks.

"Well, I _did _come to help, but apparently the Namek doesn't need it. I'll take care of the other one." Vegeta said, his cocky and cool voice showing through again. He smirked and glanced around, looking for the other android he had seen when he arrived. There was only one problem. The older, mustached android was gone.


End file.
